Montgomery County ARD Program Attorney (PA)

Pennsylvania ARD Program

Pennsylvania has a very good first-time offender program known as ARD. ARD stands for Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition. It is commonly referred to as the Pennsylvania ARD Program. This first offender programs usually consists of what I like to call “informal probation”. I call it informal because you don’t actually meet with a probation officer. You simply check in online or by phone once a month. The length of probation is typically between 6 months and 2 years. The program also requires some community service, payment of court costs and counseling or treatment in some cases.

If facing DUI, theft or other non-violent criminal charges you may qualify for the Pennsylvania ARD Program. Please contact me for your free consult.

Who is Eligible for ARD?

This program is available to first-time offenders who are facing non-violent misdemeanors. However, some felony theft offenses can qualify as well. Common examples of the types of cases that qualify for ARD are DUI (Driving Under the Influence), theft, retail theft, criminal mischief, and identity theft. An application must be submitted to the District Attorney’s Office. The District Attorney’s Office must approve the application in order to be admitted. A Judge cannot force the District Attorney’s Office into accepting someone for the ARD program as the District Attorney’s Office has full discretion and the final decision is in their hands.

What are the benefits of the ARD program?

This one is easy. Assuming a person successfully completes all of the ARD requirements he/she has earned a dismissal of the charges and they have the right to have their record expunged. This means everything gets erased as if it never happened in the first place.

How Much Does The Montgomery County ARD Program ARD Cost?

Every County’s ARD costs and fees are different. The lowest that I am aware of is approximately $900.00 and the highest is close to $2,500.00. Don’t let these costs scare you away from the program. First, the Court will sometimes reduce these costs or allow monthly payments. Second, the ultimate benefit of having your record expunged is worth it.

To discuss your eligibility for the Montgomery County ARD Program please email our ARD program attorneys here. Serving all of Bucks County and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

 

The Pennsylvania Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, or the “ARD Program”, is a pre-trial intervention program that is designed to divert first-time, non-violent offenders from the criminal justice process. Many people who apply for admission into the Pennsylvania Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program (ARD Program) in PA are people who have been charged with Driving Under the Influence/DUI.

The Pennsylvania Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program is designed for citizens who are charged with a non-violent offense, such as DUI or Retail Theft (shoplifting). The DA’s Office will consider someone for admission into the ARD Program if they become convinced that the applicant is unlikely to re-offend and has positive characteristics such as a good job, family support or a history of charitable activities. In other words, ARD is for good people who find themselves charged with a non-violent crime.

https://youtu.be/M1zWpCoPyk4

ARD — Recognizing That Good People Can Make Mistakes

The Pennsylvania Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program is designed to create awareness of the dangers of drunk driving — or even mildly impaired driving — without forcing good, law-abiding persons to spend nights in jail or end up with a criminal conviction. The conditions of ARD are intended to prevent a repeat occurrence by “teaching a lesson” without ruining lives. Basically, the ARD Program is a recognition that good people can make non-violent mistakes and such people deserve a second chance at a clean criminal record.

The ARD Program suspends the criminal justice process while the person is on ARD probation and complies with certain conditions. If a person successfully completes the ARD program, the charges are legally dismissed.

PA ARD Process

To be admitted into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) Program, on a DUI or any other criminal charge in PA, a person must be recommended by the district attorney’s office. A judge may not admit a person into the ARD program on his or her own. After the DA’s office recommends someone for admission into the ARD program, a judge decides, at a hearing, whether to accept the recommendation.

A person makes application for admission into the ARD program by submitting an application to the DA’s office prior to any application deadlines. The DA’s office then makes a decision whether to recommend a person for admission into the ARD program. For the most part, this decision cannot be appealed so it is important to get information regarding the client’s good character to the DA’s Office at the earliest opportunty.

It is important to note that the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) Program is a pre-trial program, meaning that a person must apply for admission into the ARD program prior to trial. If a person chooses to exercise his or her right to a trial and is convicted, that person may not then be admitted into the ARD program. Accordingly, it is important to consult with an experienced DUI defense attorney in the early stages of your case to ensure you understand your rights, and to carefully evaluate any potential trial issues in the early stages of the criminal justice process and before the deadline for applying for admission into the ARD program.

PA DUI ARD laws — Seeking Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) Program on a DUI Charge

You and your DUI criminal lawyer should carefully evaluate whether admission into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program is truly the best option. Attorneys who automatically assume a client should apply for ARD, without evaluating the strength of the Commonwealth of PA’s case, can do their clients a disservice.

There are many factors — including the strengths and weaknesses of the Commonwealth’s case — that you and your criminal defense attorney should carefully consider in making this determination. Any decision to apply for admission into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) Program should only be made after a full case evaluation and comprehensive discussion regarding the available options, risks and potential consequences of every course of action.

If the prosecution has a strong case for DUI, and the person may qualify for admission into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program, the person may decide to seek admission into the ARD program. There are certainly many benefits to the ARD program as opposed to a DUI conviction. These benefits include:

• No jail time. A person who is accepted into the ARD program in PA avoids mandatory minimum prison sentences which accompany most DUI convictions.
• Reduced license suspension. People who are admitted into the ARD program will have a DUI license suspension that is far less than the one-year PA license suspension that accompanies most DUI convictions. In Montgomery County, PA, people represented by a lawyer may apply for the “ARD Fast Track” program, which can result in a PA license suspension of as little as one or two months.
• No conviction: ARD is a pretrial program meaning that as long as you complete the program, you never reach the point of entering a guilty plea or going to trial.
• Expungement of criminal charges. People who successfully complete all the terms and conditions of the ARD program in PA are eligible to have all records of the arrest and ARD disposition expunged (destroyed) from PA government agency files and databanks.

The PA DUI laws allow District Attorney’s Offices to have their own unique criteria and conditions for admission into an ARD program. It is important to understand that DUI cases that may qualify for ARD in one county might not for another.

Drunk Driving Accidents

For individuals charged with DUI following a drunk driving accident with injuries or property damage, he or she may not be entitled to admission into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program. In such cases, it is critically important to retain an experienced Lower Merion Township DUI defense lawyer.

Expungement of DUI/ARD Dispositions

People who successfully complete the ARD program in PA are usually able to get their record expunged. However this does not happen automatically. Most people decide to hire a DUI Expungement lawyer to make sure the expungment process is completed correctly.

In this day and age, virtually every job requires a criminal background check. Job applicants are competing with people with clean criminal record. If you have something on your criminal record — even if is is minor such as an ARD disposition — it puts you at a disadvantage. If you are able to get a criminal record expunged, you should abolutely do so.

The expungement process involves filing a petition in the county court. The petition is seeking a court order requiring all agencies that have a record of the incident to destroy their records and delete all information from databases. The order should provide these agencies must send written notification to the expungement attorney that all such information has been expunged.

Expunging Criminal Records —  Following Up

It is important to be careful in hiring an expungement lawyer. Some lawyers work to obtain the court order but then do not aggressively follow up with these agencies to make sure they have fully expunged the records. This can completely defeat the purpose. The reality is that a court order means little if the record itself is not expunged. And police and government agencies often are more likely to comply with a court order if a law office is following up and ensuring that the records are truly expunged.

Expunging a criminal record should be done the right way — with an aggressive Montgomery County PA expungement lawyer following up to make sure the record is clear. Otherwise, a criminal background check may still uncover the ARD disposition or not guilty result.

This is why it is important to retain an attorney who will put forth the time and effort to make absolutely certain your record is legally and physically expunged. You can count on me, Montgomery County DUI Erik Petersen, to provide the zealous representation your future demands.

I routinely defend those accused of criminal charges, drug crimes, DUI, property crimes, violent crimes and sex offenses throughout Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. This includes Abington, Ambler, Blue Bell, Conshohocken, Haverford, Cheltenham Township, Pottstown, Hatboro, Hatfield, Limerick, Jenkintown, Lansdale, Upper Merion Township, Upper Dublin Township, Lower Providence Township, Upper Moreland Township and Horsham Township.

Call A Montgomery County PA Criminal Defense Lawyer

Norristown Criminal Defense Lawyer Erik Petersen proudly serves all of Montgomery County, PA including Bryn Athyn, Cheltenham Township, Horsham Township, Norristown, Plymouth Township, Whitemarsh Township, Ambler, Bridgeport, Collegeville, Conshohocken, East Greenville, Green Lane, Hatboro, Hatfield, Jenkintown, Lansdale, Narberth, North Wales, Pennsburg, Pottstown, Red Hill, Rockledge, Royersford, Schwenksville, Souderton, Telford, Trappe, West Conshohocken, Abington, Douglass, East Norriton, Franconia, Limerick, Lower Frederick, Lower Gwynedd, Lower Merion, Lower Moreland, Lower Pottsgrove, Lower Providence, Lower Salford, Marlborough, Montgomery, New Hanover, Perkiomen, Salford, Skippack, Springfield, Towamencin, Upper Dublin, Upper Frederick, Upper Gwynedd, Upper Hanover, Upper Merion, Upper Moreland, Upper Pottsgrove, Upper Providence, Upper Salford, West Norriton, West Pottsgrove, Whitpain, Worcester, Arcadia University, Ardmore, Audubon, Blue Bell, Bryn Mawr, Eagleville, Evansburg, Flourtown, Fort Washington, Gilbertsville, Harleysville, Haverford College, Horsham, King of Prussia, Kulpsville, Maple Glen, Montgomeryville, Oreland, Penn Wynne, Plymouth Meeting, Pottsgrove, Sanatoga, Skippack, Spring House, Spring Mount, Stowe, Trooper, Willow Grove, Woxall, Wyncote, Wyndmoor, Bala Cynwyd, Bethayres, Dresher, Elkins Park, Frederick, Gladwyne, Huntingdon Valley, Lafayette Hill, Melrose Park, Merion, Mont Clare, Rosemont, Valley Forge, Villanova and Wynnewood.